Producing for Multiple Platforms

Never assume that the look and feel of your project will be indentical on every computer.

Although Processing, Flash, and Director do an amazing job of being consistent between Mac and Windows environments, there are a few things to plan for while you are in production. These factors will also help make playback on the web more predictable.

File Names
For your project file name, and any external linked files…

I suggest a system close to the old-fashioned DOS convention of "8 dot 3" names. Even though your OS (Mac or Windows) may allow you to use long file names, you can run into trouble when using files on another OS, burning to a CD-ROM, or uploading to a server (which may be a UNIX-based system).

The first part of the file name may be up to 8 characters long. Any letters of the alphabet, or numerals, or _ (underscore). (The DOS convention allows other characters, but Unix doesn't support them.) Do not use spaces. The underscore is often used as a substitute. Processing has other particular limitations.

Also, for Director projects with externally-linked media, use all lowercase letters if you are using a dswMedia folder, since capitals in file names inside such a folder will not be recognized. SEE http://www.adobe.com/support/director/internet/security/security03.html

Only use the . (period) for the separator at the end of the file name for the three-character file type code (such as .jpg or .mov). Don't use periods elsewhere in your file names.

Also be consistent with your use of capitalization.

Note that in your OS, there may be an option set somewhere to "hide file extensions." You don't want to do that, since you want to know for sure that everything is named correctly. Make sure complete filenames are being displayed by your OS.

Your OS probably allows file names much longer than are safe to use on a web server, removable drive, or CD-ROM. But do you really have to stick with only 8 characters? Well, longer-than-8 file names are possible with cross-platform CD-ROM burning. Theoretically, if the option to "use Joilet naming" is on, the CD you burn should be readable with long names. Note that Unix will allow up to 14 characters. There is also a system limit to the length of enitre pathnames (which includes the directory names) of 4096 and to URLs (260 characters).

So for all these reasons, I suggest keeping your file and folder names as short as meaningfully possible.

Keys for Interface Control

If you are authoring on a Mac, don't program the use of the key for any interactions. is the equivalent of the ALT key in Windows, and some ALT-key combinations in Windows have special functions. This means that certain key combination testing with the optionDown will not work in Windows. It is recommend that, if you want to use these special keys, you choose a controlDown or shiftDown test for cross-platform consistency.

Right Mouse Button

It is theoretically possible to detect a right-mouse-click with your code, on both Mac and Windows. However, this is sometimes unreliable. If you can avoid needing the right mouse button, that's good. Besides, casual users may not be familiar with that use of the mouse.

Visual Issues: Color

Since displays can vary widely, check your designs on various tube and flat-panel monitors on both Mac and Windows before committing to anything where subtle colors are important. In general, displays on Windows-based systems tend to be denser in the shadows, and the colors hence a bit stronger. Mac displays, generally, have more shadow detail and slightly less-saturated color appearance. If you plan to use projection, there are even more variables to consider, which can degrade your image's appearance. Create a testing setup early in your production plan that accurately duplicates your planned installation.

Visual Issues: Live Fonts

By "live" fonts, I mean the use of text which is rendered in real-time using fonts available either from imported fonts in your project, or from fonts installed in the user's system. As is hopefully obvious, relying on every user to have the right font installed in their system is very risky. Use imported fonts for your live text. In Flash and Director, the same font castmember usually renders nearly the same on either Mac or Windows.

That said, sometimes an imported font is NOT exactly the same across platforms. It is important to test a desired font before committing to it throughout your project. (And look closely! For example, the "descenders" in one font I used recently looked different between platforms.)

Also, certain characters (usually those with ascii codes above 128, which includes those with international accent marks and other special symbols, including the very common "curly quotes") do not transfer between platforms reliably. For example, if you have a text castmember or symbol containing curly quotes, those quotes may appear fine on a Mac but look like some other symbol in Windows. In Director, there is a way, using its "font map", to adjust this so that these characters show up reliably. In extreme cases, you may need two sets of text, one for each platform.

Projectors

The .dir files and external cast files (if any) you make in Director, and the .fla and .swf files from Flash are entirely cross-platform (other than the few issues mentioned here, which aren't Macro-Adobe's fault, just the nature of the difference in OS environments).

BUT the PROJECTOR you make is specific to the platform on which it is created. Leave time for testing how such freestanding player versions behave in each OS.

Digital Video

In Director: Use Quicktime(.mov). This format is entirely cross-platform and provides a wide range of Lingo control features, compared with AVI, which is your other but more limited option. Users need to have Quicktime installed in their system. See the "Playing Video in Director" handout for more details.

RealMedia audio and video can be streamed into Director for a variety of effects, assuming your project is delivered as Shockwave and you have access to a RealMedia streaming server. Users will need RealPlayer 8 and will have to wait for the RealMedia Xtra to download the first time they access your project. Only one RealMedia stream can be played at a time.

Flash has its own video format and its own Encoder. Although video clips can be embedded directly in the Flash timeline, that is generally undesirable for any clip longer than a few seconds, due to the extended pre-load required. But, thankfully, there is usually no cross-platform concern with that approach.

If you are planning to randomly access the video frames, or vary the playback speed or direction, in general I have found it much easier to control video with code in Director.

Xtras (Director only)

This is a big topic, but in short, be aware that other than the xtras packaged with Director, you will need two versions (Mac and Windows) of any third-party xtras you are using. If you are making a project for the web, think twice about using such xtras, since your visitors will need to wait for them to download before your project runs the first time. Some third-party Xtras do not have downloadable versions, however. Certain other types of xtras also will not work in a browser environment due to security issues. But of course XTRAs are fine for installations or disc-based delivery.

Hybrid CD-ROMs

The friendliest way to deliver a CD-based project is to NOT assume which OS the user may have, either Mac or Windows. A hybrid CD-ROM is formatted to deliver both formats on one disc. See "Making a Hybrid CDROM" for more detail.

Installations
While you can usually specify the particular type of computer(s) you require for an installation, beware that your wishes are not always granted. Unless you plan to bring your own equipment, always develop with the thought that your work may be playing on a different platform. Test accordingly.